2026-09-17 - City Council A Session

Summary

Built from the official City Clerk minutes. No video was found, so there is no transcript or timing.

Regular A Session, 9:15 AM to 1:00 PM; all 11 members present, Jones presiding.
FY 2027 budget adopted 7-4 after three floor amendments (two failed 2-9, one withdrawn) and a failed 3-8 motion to continue; Guardian House funding approved separately 7-3 with Mungia recused.
Property tax rates approved 7-4: maintenance and operations 35.138 cents and debt service 21.150 cents per $100; the Fee Ordinance passed 8-3.
Consent agenda items 11 through 24 all passed 11-0, including a $5.2 million Dorsey Drive construction contract and the $195.4 million Workforce Solutions Alamo budget.
Walsh gave no City Manager's report; the minutes of September 1, 2 and 3 were approved 11-0. Jones recognized the Air Force's 79th birthday and led a moment of silence for prisoners of war and those missing in action.
Meeting adjourned at 1:00 PM.

Items 5 through 10 heard together. Main motion by Viagran, seconded by Castillo, carried 7-4. Amendments by Whyte and Spears to add police officers failed 2-9; Whyte's motion to continue to September 24 and 25 failed 3-8; Spears's third amendment (Northside Substation officers from District 9 and 10 office funds) was withdrawn.
Public comment came from about 20 speakers on cuts, education funding, property taxes and fees; one was a high school student who supported the Mayor's Fitness Council. Eight spoke against raising property taxes (including Finger), six against cutting programs, two for Education Partnership Scholarships, two business owners against recycler permit fees and one apartment association representative against the inspection fee.
Floor remarks: Viagran urged no floor amendments; Alderete Gavito said a further 1.6 percent cut would have avoided a tax increase; Jones listed what she saw as lower-priority subsidies. The State Rainy Day Fund is quoted at $26 billion by one member and $24 billion by another [?]. See Across-the-Board Budget Reduction.

Ratification of the budget (Item 6), the maintenance and operations rate (Item 7) and the debt service rate (Item 8) each passed 7-4: Aye Kaur, McKee-Rodriguez, Viagran, Mungia, Castillo, Galvan, Meza Gonzalez; No Jones, Alderete Gavito, Spears, Whyte.

Item 9 passed 8-3 (No: Alderete Gavito, Spears, Whyte); Item 10, the closing ordinance carrying forward FY 2026 funds, passed 8-3.

Amendments 1 and 2 failed 2-9; Amendment 3 withdrawn after Segovia and Walsh said the Chief decides assignments. Salame said he had just been sworn in and had not analyzed Northside needs.

Kaur cited the fund among programs the budget carries with Medicaid waiver money.

Item 11 approved on consent, 11-0 (Kaur moved, Castillo seconded, as for every consent item).

Dorsey Drive construction contract, up to $5,200,853.12, partly reimbursed by SAWS ($901,734.11) and CPS Energy ($463,173.11).
Closure of 0.196 acre of Matagorda Street right-of-way for $319,600.
Downtown Public Improvement District FY 2027 assessment rates ($0.15 per $100 commercial, $0.09 residential, $0.045 homestead); reauthorization of the San Antonio Tourism Public Improvement District for ten years from October 1, 2026; 2 percent hotel room revenue assessment for the Tourism Improvement District.
River Walk license agreement with Visit San Antonio; Alamodome Metasys system contract, $1,304,652.76; annual Investment Policy; bond-related resolutions for the Education Facilities Corporation and Villas at Sonterra.
Two board appointments (Agnes Kane Jaggers to the Commission on Strengthening Family Well-Being; one District 9 appointee to the Youth Commission, not named here).
Mayor's Fitness Council funding and other speaker requests are not separate items; the Fee Ordinance, closing ordinance and budget items 5 through 10 are covered above.